REVIEW: Leap of Faith Trips on Launch (Minneapolis Musical Theatre/HTT) Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - April 30, 2016May 19, 2016 Emily Jansen and Matt Tatone in Leap of Faith. Leap of Faith sounds like a better con than it is. A send-up of 1980s televangelism fraud, the musical features a score by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and a script by Janus Cercone and Slater. Menken is indisputably one of the most
WEEKEND PICKS: Take in a Play Reading, Take in the Sun Arts Lifestyle Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - April 30, 2016April 30, 2016 ≈[Almost Equal To] The weatherperson says that Saturday will be 60 degrees, which feels pretty close to heaven after recent chills. Still, if the early morning is a bit too chilly for you, stop over at the American Swedish Institute to catch a free reading of Jonas Hassen Khemiri's play ≈[Almost Equal To], which premiered
NEWS: Sensory-Friendly Performance of The Lion King Coming to Minneapolis Arts Dance Lifestyle Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - April 28, 2016April 28, 2016 Jelani Remy as Simba with the touring company of The Lion King. For parents of children with sensory, social, and learning disabilities (and adults who fall under those categories), going to the theatre as a family can be a nerve-wracking ordeal – or something that is entirely out of reach. Too loud noises,
PREVIEW: Pacer Annual Benefit Gala/Idina Menzel Arts Lifestyle Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - April 28, 2016April 28, 2016 Idina Menzel in concert. Photo by Robin Wong. It's no longer warm outside and the weather feels awfully frightful, but it is officially spring – and spring gala season. Coming up this weekend is the annual benefit for PACER, the Minnesota Parent Training and Information Center. This year's PACER Annual Benefit features the
NEWS: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Bulks Up, Extends Run Arts Dance Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 Ricky Falbo and Autumn Ness share a drink in the CTC production of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The musical Diary of a Wimpy Kid is proving to be not at all wimpy at the box office. The Children's Theatre Company announced today a one-week extension to the run of its hot new musical, an
EDITOR’S NOTE: 8 Months In Arts Dance Lifestyle Movies Music Opera Opinion Theatre Visual Arts by Hanne Appelbaum - April 26, 2016April 26, 2016 It's been eight months since we founded the Twin Cities Arts Reader. That's a nice round number – we have eight people on our team, too. Some of us are more visible than others. Some of us are more active than others! Together, we've built some of the largest and most expansive performing
REVIEW: Six Characters in Search of an Author (Park Square) Arts Theatre by Bev Wolfe - April 25, 2016April 27, 2016 Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author is the sort of play that textbook writers love to come across. When it premiered in Rome in 1921, audiences shocked by its content and unorthodox approach to storytelling voiced themselves very loudly. "Madhouse!" was one of the more polite things yelled across
REVIEW: Harvey (Guthrie Theater) Arts Theatre by Bev Wolfe - April 17, 2016April 27, 2016 Ryan Shams (Dr. Sanderson), David Kelly (Elwood P. Dowd), Ashley Rose Montondo (Nurse Kelly) and Tyson Forbes (Duane Wilson) in the Guthrie Theater’s production of Harvey. Photo by T. Charles Erickson. The title character in Harvey, which opened this weekend at the Guthrie Theatre, is a six-foot, white invisible rabbit. Mary Chase’s play
REVIEW: Constellations (Jungle Theater) Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - April 17, 2016April 18, 2016 Ron Menzel and Anna Sundberg in the Jungle Theater's production of Constellations. Photo by Dan Norman. Nick Payne’s drama Constellations, which opened Friday at the Jungle Theater, is a play with a very smart script, an engaging concept, and challenging execution requirements. It's the type of show whose power and thought-provoking delivery
REVIEW: Super Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Children’s Theatre Company) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - April 16, 2016April 16, 2016 Greg (Ricky Falbo) and Rowley (David Rosenthal) and kindergartners in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid, written by Jeff Kinney, is one of the hottest properties in children's books. Its two film adaptations so far have both been critically and commercially well-received; to say that